528 – Identity (2)

“Saint.”

One night, when everyone was asleep, someone called out to Lize, who was standing guard at the campsite.

Lize raised her head when she heard the voice. At first, she thought it was Luna.

“······Ms. Ellie?”

“lol.”

Surprisingly, it was not Luna but Ellie who called Lize. Ellie also smiled like an idiot, perhaps embarrassed.

Lize stared blankly at Ellie’s chest, which stood out even in her comfortable attire, before turning her head back toward her face.

“What’s going on? There’s still time until the sun rises.”

“I think I slept a lot. I went to bed early today.”

Ellie said as she approached Lize. She also brought the sleeping bag that covered her body.

Ellie soon sat down next to Lize. She asked Lize, who was dressed in a nun’s habit.

“Aren’t you cold? Even though it’s summer, it gets cold when the sun goes down.”

“It’s okay, there’s a bonfire.”

“okay.”

And then the conversation paused for a moment. In fact, Luna and Lize didn’t really talk to each other in person, unless it was them.

It’s the type of conversation where someone has to be in the middle to get things going. But that doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable.

Ellie had a uniquely optimistic personality, so Lize wasn’t uncomfortable at all, and Lize also liked Ellie’s innocence.

“Come to think of it, what kind of underwear does the saint wear? You even transform.”

“Usually it’s wrapped with a bandage. In the past, I used to wear underwear, but it would tear every time I transformed.”

“Really? I think the bandage would be more uncomfortable······”

Above all, since they had something in common, it was not a problem for the two to become close.

They were people who would be sad if they were told to come in second place when considering only certain parts. In particular, Lize gave a lot of advice on this part.

“My clothes are very elastic. Thanks to this, I can consume a lot of divine power and my chest can shrink.”

“Who makes that?”

“I made it myself.”

“Wow! Could you please give me one too? I’ll pay for it.”

“I’ll give it to you anytime, sister.”

Lize smiled brightly and readily agreed. Ellie smiled back at her with her signature sunny smile.

Both of them seem to like each other without feeling awkward about it.

“Oh, right. Mr. Ellie.”

“yes?”

“Ms. Ellie, have you been in a lot of danger since you were little?”

While they were chatting and playing around, Lize brought up the subject. At those words, Ellie’s eyes widened.

A look of doubt as to why he was talking about that. It was as if he was looking at Shivar’s blank expression.

“That······ Yes. There were quite a few. When I was little, I fell down the stairs and hit my head badly, and I ate a mushroom and was sick for several days.”

“Mushrooms?”

“Yes. Do you know of a mushroom that looks like deer antlers but is bright red?”

“······You lived off of that?”

The mushroom that Ellie described is one that Lize knows well. It is a very poisonous mushroom.

It’s so toxic that even eating it raw can cause minor damage to Lize. The only damage it can cause is a slight fever.

In other words, it is a poison that would kill an ordinary person. I felt that Ellie’s vitality was amazing as she survived by eating it.

“There are many more. I once almost got killed by a wild boar while climbing a mountain.”

“You’re a wild boar… Are there any scars on your body?”

“That’s why I wear clothes like this even in the hot summer. And I get bitten by bugs.”

Ellie tends to wear long sleeves and long pants even in hot summer. She just doesn’t realize it because she has such a great body.

Lize was lost in thought for a moment as she listened to Ellie’s life, which was literally haunted by death. The more she listened, the more she wondered how she lived.

Moreover, there is even a recent story that she survived thanks to Shivar and Ratatosk. She is truly a strange woman.

“I bet even the saint had many near-death experiences while living, right?”

“Yes. There were a lot.”

“Has anyone ever come to your rescue like a prince in a fairy tale?”

“There······ was.”

Lize stuttered. That was understandable, because as soon as she heard Ellie’s words, a person came to mind.

It happened a long time ago, almost like a story a grandfather would tell his grandchildren.

As if he didn’t know that, Eli laughed heartily and told his story. Naturally, it was about Shivar.

“I can’t tell you how surprised I was at that time. I didn’t know that I would meet someone so deep in the Forest of Chaos.”

“okay.”

“If it weren’t for Shivar, I really can’t imagine… So sometimes I think, what would have happened if Shivar had been somewhere other than the Forest of Chaos?”

“··· ···”

Ellie suggested a hypothetical scenario, but Lize couldn’t agree with it. Instead, she flinched as soon as she heard it.

At the same time, a thought came to my mind. The place where Shivar originally was, or should have been.

It was horrible to even imagine, but I tried to shake it off. It wasn’t something I should be thinking about now.

“I see you like Brother Shivar a lot.”

“Of course. After all, you saved me. I think I would have liked Shivar if he were a woman.”

“Do you have such a tendency······”

“Hey. That’s not it. I like Shivar.”

Ellie quickly waved her hand and corrected herself. Lize just laughed it off because it was a joke.

Shivar, who is full of life, and Eli, who is the death-doer. It’s a surprisingly good combination.

Whenever a crisis comes, Shivar will always come to Ellie’s rescue. Of course, he can’t just leave her like this forever.

“Sister Ellie.”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“For you, Sister, you are safest by Brother Shivar’s side, but on the other hand, you can also be most dangerous.”

So I warned you. This is something Ellie must have already experienced firsthand.

If you stay by Shivar’s side from now on, you will face dangers on a different level than any you have experienced so far.

But who is Ellie? She is a person with an always optimistic personality who has a talent for making people dumbfounded.

“But having Shivar by my side is good, I think.”

“··· ···”

“I’m joking. If it’s really dangerous, I’ll do what I can. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“It’s a good attitude.”

“Oh. And Saintess. Can I ask you a question?”

Lize nodded. Questions are always welcome.

Then Ellie asked a question with her characteristically innocent smile.

“Does your majesty also like Shivar as a man?”

“··· ···”

The problem was that the question was like a knife to the heart. Lize couldn’t help but flinch greatly.

At the same time, my mind became confused. Luna, you can get over it since you have received the revelation of chaos directly.

But not Ellie. They rarely met alone together and she hardly ever showed it.

“······What are you talking about?”

So I grabbed it. Lize asked in a voice that seemed like she really didn’t know.

At this, Ellie tilted her head and opened her mouth with a strange nuance.

“Uh… isn’t that right? I thought it was obvious since you were being so obvious.”

“I know there are many women who like Brother Shivar, but that doesn’t mean I will be the same.”

“For something like that, the way you look at Shivar is quite tense.”

“······yes?”

“To be exact······”

Ellie seemed to think deeply and then came up with an unknown metaphor.

“I love glass crafts so much that I can’t even touch them. Is that how it feels?”

“··· ···”

“Anyway, that’s what it felt like. Am I mistaken?”

It seemed that there would be more people keeping their mouths shut. Lize desperately defended herself.

Fortunately, Ellie also seemed to be just getting by. It goes without saying that Lize could accept it.

After that, Ellie went back to sleep, leaving Lize alone. She sighed and looked up at the sky.

‘······It’s hard.’

There’s still a long way to go.

‘What is Brother Shivar doing now?’

*****

It’s confusing. This is the sentence that’s currently eating away at my head.

My body became a baby, the demons were tormenting me, and lies were sending me favors that were not favors.

Everything is confusing, but now it’s even more confusing because······

“Oww.”

“Oh······ Oh! There, it’s walking!”

“Come here! I’ll hug you!”

Now, I have started to walk, albeit with difficulty. I thought I was waking up from sleep, but it seems that was not the case.

I am barely able to walk, forcing myself to walk on my weak legs. Rust and the clown are in front of me, spreading their arms.

It’s like looking at a baby taking its first steps. It’s really shocking that the two demons in front of me are parents.

“Hmm. It only takes a few months for them to start walking… Their growth rate is similar to that of humans.”

Beside him, Lie was writing something down. That devil always seems to be in the researcher position.

So, the place I headed to after taking my first steps was Rust’s arms. I always think about it, but the feeling of his soft chest is so nice.

It’s not because I’m a baby, but as a man, I just like it. Oddly enough, it makes me feel like I have an appetite.

“It’s definitely an instinct for life. I just have to look into it a little more.”

It feels strange to see a lie that even records such a thing.

But there was something more serious than that. I held Rust in my arms and gave him strength.

Again, I gave it strength. And I did it with my body rigid.

“Ugh······”

“······sonny?”

“Ugh······!”

-Ppujik!

Of course, the cool sound resonated throughout the room. Rust’s body, which was holding me, froze.

The clown next to him is the same. Normally, there would be chaos, but······

“Hey, did you just take a dump…?”

“I guess so?”

“Oh my god! Even menstruation! This thing is definitely alive! This thing is definitely alive!”

On the contrary, I like it. Can’t you just wipe my behind? I feel so uncomfortable I’m going crazy.

“Hehehe. That’s a good sign.”

Lie, you too, stop laughing and clean up after yourself.

“Phew, pfft …

“Huh, huh? Why, why are you crying?”

“Eww! My, it smells······!”

I knew this would happen.